NUNSENSE
 
Theatre Works first show of their 24th season is Dan Goggin's "Nunsense". The show is about five zany nuns, the little Sisters of Hoboken who are putting on a fundraiser to raise money to bury sisters accidentally poisoned by the convent cook, Sister Julia Child of God. The nuns sing and dance their way into the hearts of the audience with their clever and witty lines and dialogue. Director Louie Lamoureux infuses the show with the energy needed while music director Mary Jo Rett plays the keyboards while doing banter with the cast members. Louie chooses five talented women to fill these roles to provided a wonderful evening of entertainment for an very appreciative audience.
 
Louie blocks the nuns and does the musical staging beautifully. He has them walk into the audience in several scenes, making them a part of the show. Choreography is by Shannon Lewis, the Grease set needed for this show is by Mark Anderson and the nuns costumes are by Sharon Charette.

 Playing Sister Mary Regina, the Mother Superior is veteran actress Carol Varden who commands the stage as the authority figure. She does a very funny tight walking imitation in "Turn Up the Spotlight" while holding a parasol. Carol obtains many laughs during her Rush scene where she sniffs this bottle and gets high  from it. She also does a great job in cooking with the BVM scene where she has many funny one liners and takes back a prize from a naughty woman in the audience.

 The second in command, Sister Hubert is played by Diane Pincince. She has some funny scenes where she insults Sister Regina and they sing a comic duet called "Just a Coupl'a Sisters" but it is the 11th hour number of the show called "Holier than Thou" that shows off her high soprano voice that brings down the house.

 Two of the zaniest nuns in this show are Connie Anderson as Sister Robert Anne and Danielle DeRotto as Sister Amnesia. Connie is a hoot with her habit humor where she imitates Cher, Heidi, Pippi Longstocking, Princess Leia and Katherine Hepburn. She also sells her three songs, "Playing Second Fiddle" where she complains about being the understudy nun, "Growing Up Catholic" where she tells about her tough childhood in Brooklyn and "I Just Wanna Be a Star" where she finally gets to strut her stuff for the audience.

Danielle DeRotto keeps the crowd in stitches as the forgetful nun who has lost her memory. She is hilarious in "So You Want to be a Nun" number which she does with her puppet Sister Mary Annette, while alternating her soprano voice with a lower voice for the puppet and doing it extremely well. Luckily she remembers who she is during her "I Could've Gone to Nashville" song and helps save the nun's fundraiser from being ruined. Danielle also does a great job with the quiz about their order where I won a St. Christopher's prayer for motorists.

 Rounding out this cast is 14 year old Emily Luther who plays Sister Leo, the novice who wants to be a ballerina nun. She does an excellent ballet to "Benedicite" and gets to show off a comic dance in the Dying Nun ballet. Emily shows off her soprano voice and her strong acting skills in this role, too. This is also Theatre Works first show in their new home at the Masonic Temple in Woonsocket and what a lovely venue they have moved to. So for a comical visit with wacky nun's in their old habits, be sure to catch a fun filled "Nunsense" in Woonsocket.

 NUNSENSE ( 22 September to 1 October, 2006)|
Theatre Works, 142 Clinton Street, Woonsocket, RI
 1 (401) 766-1898 or www.TWRI.org